Yuck.

Know what you get when you travel for several days while the temperature climbs above 100F (38C) every single day you're gone?

You get a mess in the pond. At least I do.

***

The string algae is horrible, as it hungrily sucks up the nutrients in the pond water and grows faster than even my most agressive bamboo. At some point those nutrients will be exhausted and the algae won't be so bad. That's the theory at least.

Until that time, I'm dealing with algae.

I'll rake it off the surface of the water later today, and pull out as much as I can. Not only will this make things look so much nicer, but it also removes those captured nutrients from the system -- if the algae dies in the water those nutrients are returned, allowing more algae to bloom. So it has to come out!

I'll never be able to get it all out though, as it clings to the frogbit roots and the hornwort, not to mention the rocks and pots and everything that doesn't move.

Maybe I'll be able to knock it back to a low enough level that the tadpoles can keep most of it in check (tadpoles eat algae).

I have a feeling that's wishful thinking though.

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